Episodi

  • Deng Xiaoping and the Restoration of the Gaokao — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping and the Restoration of the Gaokao — Fexingo History
    Apr 27 2026
    In 1977, China was emerging from the Cultural Revolution, a decade that had all but destroyed its education system. This episode dives into Deng Xiaoping's bold decision to restore the national college entrance examination, known as the gaokao. Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic August 1977 symposium on science and education where Deng, just weeks after his third political comeback, overruled objections from the Ministry of Education and ordered the exam to be held in December—giving millions of young people only a few months to prepare. They discuss the logistical chaos of printing exam papers on time, the diverse cohort of test-takers that included factory workers and farmers, and the lasting impact of that single exam on China's modernization. The episode also touches on the earlier abolition of the gaokao during the Cultural Revolution and the recommendations-based system it replaced. Through names like Fang Yi and Liu Daoyu, and terms like 'the two estimations,' Lucas brings to life a pivotal moment that shaped China's intellectual future.

    #Gaokao #DengXiaoping #ChineseEducation #CulturalRevolution #1977 #FangYi #LiuDaoyu #ScienceAndEducationSymposium #Modernization #ReformAndOpeningUp #ChineseHistory #ExaminationSystem #BeijingUniversity #Tsinghua #FuxingLuce #EastAsia #History #FexingoHistory #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    10 min
  • Deng Xiaoping's One Child Policy: The Controversial Birth of China's Population Control — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping's One Child Policy: The Controversial Birth of China's Population Control — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and consequences of China's one-child policy, a controversial demographic experiment launched under Deng Xiaoping's leadership in 1979. They discuss how population control became a national priority after the Mao-era baby boom, the role of key figures like Song Jian and Chen Yun in advocating for strict limits, and the implementation of forced sterilizations and abortions that sparked international outrage. The conversation covers the policy's evolution from 'one child, one couple' to exceptions for ethnic minorities and rural families, the secret 1984 Document 7 that softened enforcement, and the eventual phase-out in 2015. Lucas explains how the policy achieved its goal of slowing population growth but also led to long-term problems like an aging population, a skewed sex ratio due to sex-selective abortion, and the psychological impact on a generation of only children. The episode also touches on the legacy of the policy in shaping China's economic rise and its demographic challenges today, offering a nuanced look at one of the most consequential social experiments of the 20th century.

    #DengXiaoping #OneChildPolicy #PopulationControl #SongJian #ChenYun #FamilyPlanning #ChinaDemographics #ReproductiveRights #ForcedSterilization #SexSelectiveAbortion #Document7 #1980sChina #DemographicTransition #ChineseHistory #SocialEngineering #EastAsia #History #FexingoHistory #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    6 min
  • Deng Xiaoping's Education Reforms: Building China's Future — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping's Education Reforms: Building China's Future — Fexingo History
    Apr 26 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Deng Xiaoping's sweeping education reforms that laid the foundation for China's economic miracle. They discuss the resumption of the gaokao in 1977, the establishment of key universities, and the controversial decision to send students abroad. The conversation covers the role of leading figures like周光召 and丁石孙, the impact of the '863 Plan' for science and technology, and the tension between ideological education and practical skills. Listeners will learn how Deng's focus on 'education must face modernization, the world, and the future' transformed a generation and fueled China's rise, while also grappling with the lasting legacies of these policies today.

    #DengXiaoping #ChineseEducation #Gaokao #EducationReform #863Plan #ScienceAndTechnology #ChinaHistory #ColdWarChina #TiananmenSquare #ReformAndOpeningUp #ChineseUniversities #StudyAbroad #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #EastAsia #ChineseHistory #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp #SpecialEconomicZones

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    9 min
  • Deng Xiaoping's Military Reforms: The Great Reduction — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping's Military Reforms: The Great Reduction — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore a lesser-known but transformative aspect of Deng Xiaoping's leadership: the military reforms of the 1980s. After decades of a bloated, politically-oriented People's Liberation Army, Deng slashed troop numbers by over one million starting in 1985. They discuss the ideological shift from 'people's war' to 'people's war under modern conditions,' the rise of the General Staff Department and military academies, and the tension between cost-cutting and modernization. Key figures like Yang Shangkun and Zhang Aiping come into focus, along with the impact of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War as a wake-up call. The episode also covers the controversial decision to reduce the PLA's role in the economy and the political fallout, including the 1989 aftermath. A nuanced look at how Deng applied his pragmatic reform philosophy to the military, reshaping China's defense for the modern era.

    #DengXiaoping #PLA #MilitaryReform #GreatReduction #ChineseMilitary #YangShangkun #ZhangAiping #SinoVietnameseWar #PeopleLiberationArmy #Modernization #1980sChina #ReformAndOpeningUp #ChineseHistory #ColdWarAsia #MilitaryHistory #FexingoHistory #EastAsianHistory #History #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    8 min
  • The Household Responsibility System: Deng Xiaoping's Quiet Revolution — Fexingo History

    The Household Responsibility System: Deng Xiaoping's Quiet Revolution — Fexingo History
    Apr 25 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Household Responsibility System, the agricultural reform that preceded and paved the way for China's economic miracle. Starting with the famine of the Great Leap Forward, they trace how farmers in a small Anhui village secretly experimented with land contracts in 1978, defying Maoist collectivization. Lucas explains how Wan Li, the reformist party secretary of Anhui, protected these experiments and how Deng Xiaoping's support at the Third Plenum of the 11th Central Committee led to nationwide decollectivization. The episode covers the dramatic productivity gains (grain output up 45% in five years), the ideological debates (was it capitalism?), and the impact on rural life, including the dismantling of communes and the rise of township enterprises. It ends with the 1982 constitutional change that enshrined the new system, marking a foundational shift in China's path from Maoist orthodoxy to market-oriented reform.

    #HouseholdResponsibilitySystem #DengXiaoping #Anhui #WanLi #XiaogangVillage #GreatLeapForward #Decollectivization #ChineseAgriculture #ThirdPlenum #RuralReform #SocialismWithChineseCharacteristics #Communes #TownshipEnterprises #1982Constitution #EconomicReform #ChinaHistory #FexingoHistory #History #ChineseHistory #EconomicReforms

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    8 min
  • Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour: The 1992 Gamble — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour: The 1992 Gamble — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In 1992, Deng Xiaoping, retired and ailing, embarked on a tour that would reshape China's future. This episode focuses on the Southern Tour (nánxún), a critical moment when Deng bypassed party bureaucracy to directly push for renewed economic reforms. We explore the tension between conservative leaders and Deng's radical vision, his stops in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and the famous speeches that reignited China's marketization. Learn about the 'socialism with Chinese characteristics' slogan and how Deng's gamble broke the post-Tiananmen political paralysis. We also examine the role of Chen Yun, Deng's longtime rival, and the struggle over China's economic direction. The episode ends by considering the Southern Tour's legacy: it set China on its explosive growth trajectory but also deepened the contradictions between political autocracy and economic freedom.

    #DengXiaoping #SouthernTour #ChineseHistory #ReformAndOpeningUp #Shenzhen #Shanghai #1992 #ChenYun #SocialismWithChineseCharacteristics #EconomicReform #PostTiananmen #FexingoHistory #ColdWar #20thCentury #ChinaPolitics #SpecialEconomicZone #NNxN #History #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    4 min
  • The Shenzhen Miracle: Deng Xiaoping's Special Economic Zone Experiment — Fexingo History

    The Shenzhen Miracle: Deng Xiaoping's Special Economic Zone Experiment — Fexingo History
    Apr 24 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the creation and explosive growth of Shenzhen, China's first Special Economic Zone. They explore how Deng Xiaoping transformed a sleepy fishing village of 30,000 people into a sprawling metropolis of over 12 million. The conversation covers the political gamble of the 1979 decision, the initial skepticism from conservative factions, and the pragmatic policies that attracted foreign investment. Lucas explains the role of Hong Kong businessmen, the controversial 'crossing the river by feeling the stones' approach, and the social costs of rapid industrialization. The episode touches on the 1992 Southern Tour, when Deng reignited reforms after the Tiananmen Square crackdown. It ends with a reflection on Shenzhen as a symbol of China's economic reawakening—and a cautionary tale about inequality and labor rights. Key figures mentioned include Xi Zhongxun, Yuan Geng, and Deng Xiaoping himself. This is a deep dive into the mechanics of economic reform, told through the lens of one city's transformation.

    #Shenzhen #DengXiaoping #SpecialEconomicZone #ChineseEconomy #EconomicReform #OpenDoorPolicy #ForeignInvestment #HongKong #XiZhongxun #YuanGeng #SouthernTour #1992 #FishingVillageToMetropolis #MarketSocialism #ReformAndOpeningUp #ChineseHistory #History #FexingoHistory #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    6 min
  • Deng Xiaoping's Early Years and the Road to Reform — Fexingo History

    Deng Xiaoping's Early Years and the Road to Reform — Fexingo History
    Apr 23 2026
    In 1978, Deng Xiaoping returned to power in Beijing, a man shaped by decades of revolution and exile. This episode begins with a vivid scene: Deng in his office, contemplating the collapse of the Maoist era. We trace his journey from a village in Sichuan to study and work in France, where he met Zhou Enlai and joined the Chinese Communist Party. We explore his military leadership in the Long March, his role in the Yan'an Soviet, and his fall during the Cultural Revolution. Deng's pragmatic philosophy — "cross the river by feeling the stones" — emerges as a response to Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward. We preview how Deng's reforms would transform China into an economic superpower, touching on the Four Modernizations and the open-door policy. Future episodes will dive into the Tiananmen Square protests, the transformation of Shenzhen, and Deng's legacy of "one country, two systems" for Hong Kong.

    #DengXiaoping #ChineseHistory #ReformAndOpening #CulturalRevolution #LongMarch #Sichuan #ParisCommunistGroup #FourModernizations #ZhouEnlai #MaoZedong #GreatLeapForward #Shenzhen #TiananmenSquare #OneCountryTwoSystems #EastAsia #20thCentury #EconomicReform #FexingoHistory #EconomicReforms #OpeningUp

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    7 min